i love snow, but i love you more
by stunna-smiles
Summary: where annabeth is new to chilton, a privileged and prestigious school, and percy just loves to annoy her as much as he can. the thing is, they might just like each other more than they admit. gilmore girls inspired!
1. chilton's staring contests

_** chapter 1 - chilton's staring contests **_

**hey guys:) i was watching season 1 and 2 of gilmore girls and i just had to write this after watching the rory/dean/tristan love triangle, so i hope u enjoy! **

**side note: even if you haven't watched gilmore girls, a) it's one of my favorite shows and i highly recommend it, b) you don't have to watch the show to understand this fic, but it might make things easier:), and c) i'm not putting this fic up as a crossover with pjo and gilmore girls, but i hope u realize that chilton and the inspiration comes from gilmore girls**

**side note 2: if you're wondering about my other multi-chapter fics on my profile, please check my profile! thanks. **

**side note 3: final side note but i dont own any of the characters, places, etc. all of that are the works of rick riordan and the writers, directors, etc. of gilmore girls! ****ok, _now_ enjoy the fic haha**

* * *

I smooth out my white plaid skirt while looking at myself in my full-length mirror. I look more mature than usual with the skirt and my blue blouse, matched with a navy blue blazer and tie. With a final tightening of my blonde ponytail, I grab my bookbag and march down the hall to my dad's office.

I knock on the door before opening it and peeking my head in. "Morning," I say cheerfully, "I'm getting ready to go to, you know, my first day at Chilton."

My dad's only answer is a slight nodding, while still looking at his papers at his desk.

I try one last time. "Are you sure you can't drop me off? First day and all."

My dad finally looks up from the tests that he's grading. "I'm sorry, honey, I just have a lot of papers to grade today. I'm sure you'll have a great day regardless, okay?"

I bite my lip, trying not to look too disappointed. "Oh, that's okay, I'll just take my car then. See you at dinner?" He doesn't even eat dinner with me anymore, he just brings the food to his office, but it's worth the try.

My dad smiles all innocent, like he actually he believes that he's going to spend dinner with me. With that, I close the door and walk downstairs. I grab a piece of gum I find lying on our kitchen counter, grab my keys from our key bowl, and walk outside. I place my backpack in the passenger seat of my white Range Rover, before hopping in the driver's seat, turning on my playlist, and backing out of my driveway.

* * *

I breathe in and breathe out. I've been to the actual Chilton building before, to take the exam for acceptance, but seeing the building as the school that I'll go for the next two years makes the school seem more intimidating. Suddenly, I'm manually breathing and my backpack seems heavier on my shoulders. My feet feel stuck in their place right now, like they're placed into wet cement, and I finally build up the nerve to weave my way through the students who already know their place here.

"Okay, you can do this," I mutter under my breath, "Just go though things step by step. First, find the headmaster's office." My anxiety spikes when I realize that I don't even know where the headmaster's office is. I finally force my feet forward, towards a group of girls that look friendly enough.

I brace myself before I tap on a girl's shoulder. "Excuse me?"

The girl turns around, and I immediately regret my decision when the girl's shiny, straight, black hair whips me in the face and I see her sour expression.

"Um, yeah?" The girl sneers, eyeing me, and I'm shocked by how _Mean Girls_ this is turning out to be.

Too late to back out now. "Hi, sorry for interrupting, but do you know where the headmaster's office is?" When they don't answer immediately, I spit out anything that comes to mind. "I'm new, by the way. If it isn't blatantly obvious yet, which I'm sure it is."

The girl smirks, and glances at the other smug girls in the group. She finally turns back around to face me, and I barely dodge the flying hair. "Yeah, um, make a right at that building-" she points with her polished fingernail, "-and the office will be the first door you see." She stifles a laugh.

I raise a mental eyebrow. "Oh, okay. Thanks."

She smacks her glossed lips. "Mhmm."

I turn around, and just as I'm about to walk towards the building that was pointed out to me, somebody taps _my_ shoulder.

"Don't listen to Drew."

I swing around to look at another girl, with long, choppy brown hair and beautiful green eyes. "Excuse me?"

She laughs. "I mean, that was Drew you just talked to. And, I've been to this school long enough to know that the directions she gave you are complete shit."

I stare at her.

The girl gives me a confused look. "Is there food in my teeth or something?"

I break away from my stare. "Oh, no, there's nothing like that. It's just that I thought that rich girls were supposed to be all nice and proper and _shit_-less."

The girl looks at me dead-serious for a moment, then bursts out laughing. "Well, you have got the whole entire 'rich-kid-scene- wrong. I, for one, have a horrible habit of cursing."

I smile at her. "We have that in common. I'm Annabeth Chase, by the way."

"Piper McLean, nice to meet ya."

My eyes bulge. "McLean? As in, Tristan McLean?"

"The one and only." She sighs. "How 'bout I walk you to the headmaster's office?"

I consider it. "How will I know that _you're_ not fooling me?"

"Does Drew and her clique really look more trustworthy than _me_? Cause if you really think that, I _really_ have some self-awareness to do."

"True," I say, nodding slowly.

"Exactly." Piper flashes her pearls at me, and leads me towards my new school.

* * *

After going down a small case stairs, turning left, and walking towards the end of the hall, Piper and I stand in front of a white, wooden door with a plaque that reads, _Headmaster Dionysus_.

Piper turns to me before I knock on the door. "Just a heads up, Dionysus is kinda… what word can I use that wouldn't get me expelled? He's a little… eccentric."

"Um… okay?"

Piper gives me a sympathetic look and pats my back. "I'll be right here, waiting for you outside."

"Okay," I reply, and I knock on the door before opening the door and sliding in.

"Hello." A secretary greets me from a desk on the left side of the room.

"Oh, hi. I'm looking for the headmaster?"

The secretary gets up from her chair, and walks over to another set up doors on the right, with her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. "I'll tell him that you're here. I assume that he's waiting for you right now. I'll get on that right now." She disappears into the doors, and when she comes out, she leaves with the doors wide open. "Headmaster Dionysus may speak to you now."

I thank her and enter the room. I'm surprised by the beer-bellied, scruffy man I see, leaning back into a leather office chair. He's clicking away on the computer in front of him, which makes me think he's playing an online game instead of typing an email or something that a proper headmaster should be doing during work hours. I carefully sit down in the chair across his desk, as if he is a sleeping bear that I'm afraid to wake.

"And who are you?" He drawls out, after he pries his attention from his computer.

I'm taken aback, but answer as promptly as I can. "I'm Annabeth Chase, sir."

"Annie Belle?"

I keep back from rolling my eyes at the common mistake. "Annabeth-"

He waves his hand, interrupting me, "I don't care what your name is." He slides a filing folder towards me on the cherrywood desk. "Bring this to the secretary at the main office."

I tentatively pick the folder off the desk. "Oh, okay, um, thank you." My voice picks up at the end, making it sound like I'm asking a question.

He doesn't answer, just goes back into playing the game. I quickly slip out of his office, not before thanking his secretary. She nods in return.

As soon as I'm outside, Piper stands up as fast as a bullet.

"What kind of headmaster is he?" I say, exasperated, "I thought Chilton is supposed to be one of the most prestigious schools around here! Why is he allowed to be headmaster? You could clearly tell that he doesn't want to be there."

Piper agrees, and says, "True, and I told you so. There's a rumor that the only reason why Dionysus only sticks around because Zeus-"

"Zeus? Jupiter Zeus? The multi-millionaire?"

"Yup, _that_ Zeus. Anyways, Dionysus and Zeus are supposed relatives. I heard that before Dionysus had this job, he was a bad alcoholic, so Zeus helped him out by paying Chilton big bucks to get him the job. I mean, he's still an alcoholic, but at least he drinks somewhere other than his empty house."

"He drinks on the job?" I'm appalled.

Piper giggles. "He plays solitaire too. Just a little added bonus."

* * *

"May we settle down to take attendance?" The teacher, Mr. Chiron, asks. He's sitting in a wheelchair with a small blanket laid on his legs.

"He's a great teacher, which is why it's horrible that some people give him shit for his wheelchair and all." Piper had told me, "Nobody knows exactly what got his legs paralyzed, but he doesn't deserve all the crap he gets."

"Now, Nico?" Mr. Chiron starts, and goes down the short amount of names until he gets to mine. "Annabeth Chase?"

I raise my hand. "Here, sir."

Mr. Chiron peers at me. "Ah, you're the new student?"

I nod. "Yes, sir."

Mr. Chiron smiles. "No need for that 'sir'. Call me Chiron; _Mr_. Chiron seems too formal. Now, why don't you stand up at the front of the room and tell us a little something about yourselves?"

"Kill me now," I mutter to Piper as I stand up from my desk and walk silently to the front of the room.

"Hi, I'm Annabeth," I address the class. Some look bored out of their minds while others look mildly interested. "Uh, I moved here from California a few months ago." I give Chiron a quick glance, and he urges me to go on. "I… love reading and playing sports. I guess that's it."

Chiron nods, which is enough for me to consider approval for me to go back to my seat.

"Nice going," Piper whispers to me.

"Shut up," I reply, rolling my eyes. It's really surprising how well Piper and I get along. Even if we've only known each other for a good thirty minutes, we've already bonded as friends.

Just as I slide into my seat, the classroom door opens.

"Percy, nice to see you in class."

A tall boy walks into class with swept, black hair and ruffled uniform. "You too, Chiron." The boy looks at the clock. "Would you look at that! I'm only two minutes later than the bell."

Rather than being irritated like I expected, Chiron chuckles. "That's right, Percy. I'm glad you can read time."

Percy laughs. "I'm glad too." He closes the door and walks to an empty desk. I stare at him; he's absolutely gorgeous, there's no way to deny it. His eyes flit across the room until they land on me. I don't back down.

After staring at each other, both of us refuse to lose. He finally smirks and takes a seat two desks behind Piper. I huff, not entirely pleased that I didn't win the little staring contest we just had. I turn back around to give my attention to Chiron.

"What was _that_?" Piper leans over to whisper at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I _mean_," Piper says, "That little eye contact you and Jackson had?"

My eyebrows curl. "Jackson?"

Piper gives me an exasperated sigh. "Percy Jackson. Now stop stalling, and tell me what that was about!"

I turn around to give Percy a second look. I'm surprised when I find him already staring at me. He smirks again, and I turn around quickly and swiftly. Facing forward, I roll my eyes. "It was nothing. We merely just glanced at each other. I'm the new girl, remember?"

Piper punches my arm lightheartedly. "Okay, whatever. Just know that Percy's the flirt around here."

I smile at her, glad she likes me well enough as a friend to warn me about the stereotypes at Chilton. "Thanks, but I find it very unlikely that I'll date anyone in this school, especially the school's player."

Piper gives me a knowing smirk. "We'll see about that."

It's me giving the punch this time before looking forward to start the class.

* * *

I close my locker to find Percy leaning against the lockers. I practically jump three feet high.

"Holy shit!" I say, and other students stare at me. "What are you doing?"

Percy shrugs, and with closer proximity, I get to find out what color his eyes truly are: a sort of sea green that I didn't know existed or was possible for a human's eye to be. I feel uncomfortable being in the spotlight of them, and his unnerving good looks and cocky attitude sets me off. Not a particular bad feeling, just a bizarre one. "I'm just introducing myself to my new classmate." He brings a hand in front of him. I narrow my eyes at his hand, like it's a body part of an alien. "C'mon. I don't have some sort of taser in my hand, you don't have to be scared of my _hand_." I reluctantly shake it.

"I already know who you are." I walk through the hallway, towards the dining hall where I'm supposed to meet Piper for lunch.

"You do?"

"I do. You're Percy Jackson."

As if on cue, a guy approaches us. "Hey, Perce."

Percy slaps the guy on the back. He looks the same grade as, asian, and large, but kind, like the _Big Friendly Giant_. "Hey, Frank."

"Hi," I greet him, so I don't appear rude.

"Hi," He repeats me, looking shyer than he was when he was talking to Percy.

Percy seems to voice my thoughts. "Frank, this is Annabeth Chase. Chase, this is Frank Zhang."

"How do you know my name?" I demand him. He entered the classroom _after_ my introduction, and I don't have any more classes with him besides Chiron's class, which is History.

Percy winks at me. "I have my ways."

"I'm disgusted."

Percy dramatically puts his hand on top of his hard. "And _I_ am _hurt_."

"And I don't care, so if you will excuse me, I have someone to meet." I smile at Frank. since he seems harmless enough, and I don't give Percy a second look.

What I don't know is that Percy is staring after me with a small smile on his face.


	2. diner discussions

_** chapter 2**_

**hello again! welcome back haha. currently watching gilmore girls while writing this lol. thank you for the lovely reviews on the first chapter, i appreciate it:) all of the answers to the reviews will be all the way down below at the end of the chapter. now, enjoy!**

* * *

Piper pushes her pen down onto her notebook repeatedly, and the clicks of the pen fills the silence over our study session. The only other sound that I hear is my pencil furiously scribbling on my paper.

"I'm surprised your pencil hasn't broken yet." Piper says, laughing the slightest bit.

We're sitting on counter chairs at the enormous marble kitchen island in Piper's mansion. Apparently her home in Hartford, the one we're currently in, is one out of the three homes he has: the others are a penthouse in New York City and a house in Hawaii.

I break my attention on my homework to glance at her. "Huh?"

"You know, because of how hard you're pushing on that innocent writing tool."

I sigh. "I'm sorry, it's just that it's frustrating trying to catch up on the schoolwork, especially coming into Chilton in the middle of the year."

Piper smiles sympathetically at me. "I know, but you're doing great and you're _going_ to do great."

"Thanks," I reply, placing my pencil down on top of my textbook.

"You know what? I'm so sick of studying right now. Let's grab some snacks and watch a movie."

"But we're studying!" I protest, but Piper's already out of her chair and dragging me out of my own.

Piper shoves me out of the kitchen and towards her basement. "There should be a bunch of blankets in the big storage basket next to the sofa. Grab all of them and pick a movie on Netflix. I'm gonna grab snacks and drinks. Be there in a second."

"But my homework!" I try to object, but my voice falters at the end, knowing that it won't be any use. "Fine," I mutter. I descend the stairs.

After I get all the blankets on the big sectional sofas, I settle down and grab the remote that's laying on the coffee table in front.

While I'm still browsing movies on Netflix, Piper comes down with two large bowls of buttery popcorn and another big bowl of candy. "Didn't find a movie yet?" She sets the food on the table and goes to the fridge behind the bar on the other side of the basement.

I shake my head. "Nope."

"Drink?"

"Uh… I'll take a Coke, thanks. You know, you didn't have to make that much popcorn, I could have shared one bowl with you."

Piper snorts very ungracefully. "Maybe _you_ could have shared one bowl, but _I_ need one bowl to myself."

I laugh. "I was currently deciding between _The Conjuring_ or _The Notebook_? Please don't say _The Notebook_."

Piper joins me on the couch with two cold cans of Coke and Sprite. "Thank god, because I hate _The Notebook_ too. Too sappy."

"Agreed. The Conjuring it is." I take a Twizzler from the candy bowl and stick it in my mouth as I settle in and start the movie.

* * *

I groan. "Ugh, I regret the decision to play _The Conjuring_."

The white of the credits contrast the darkness of the room and they flash on Piper's face. "What do you mean?"

"I think you ruptured my eardrum by how much you screamed." I tell her.

"Well, I'm not the biggest fan of horror movies." Piper defends.

I stretch my arms upwards. "Well, I would barely consider _The Conjuring_ a _horror_ movie. All of the jump-scares are completely predictable."

"They are _not_! It is completely respectable to be a little scared about the jump-scares."

"Okay, sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." She flips me off, which I reply with a, "Very graceful."

"Graceful my ass. What time is it?" She peers at the cable box, which reads in glowing numbers, _8:13_. "Wanna sleep over? We can order pizza."

I ponder it. "Well, I don't know." It's been two weeks since my first day at Chilton, and, including this study session, I've been to Piper's house a total of four times. Usually I would feel bad for not having her at my house when I've been to hers numerous times, but Piper insists that I go over to hers.

"My house is so freaking _empty_ all the time," she complained the second time I came over, "You can move in for all my dad would care. It's _better_ now that I have someone to invite everyday. There will finally be two echoes in this house instead of one."

"C'mon, Annabeth!" Piper whines from her side of the sofa now. "We can watch movies all night until we fall asleep, and I have clothes you can wear since we're about the same size. Well, actually, you're taller than me, which I'm _so_ jealous about. _And_ today's a Saturday, so we don't have to wake up early for school tomorrow. We can stay up for as long as we want."

I grin. "Fine, I'll sleep over. I don't think my dad will mind." _Actually_, I don't think my dad will notice at _all_, but I don't bother telling her that.

I take my phone out from my sweatshirt pocket and text my dad, telling him that I'm going to sleep over at Piper's house. I know he's not going to see the message until he goes to sleep in a few hours, so I also send a goodnight along with the other text.

"It's decided; We're watching _Veronica_."

I stare at her. "You _do_ know that _Veronica_ is _also_ a horror movie, right?"

"So?"

I shake my head, laughing.

* * *

I wake up the next morning with aggressive shaking and a loud voice shouting in my ear, "Wake up!"

I pry my eyes to open. "What the heck?"

"Good," She's hovering over me, but her hands aren't on my shoulders anymore, "You're awake."

I groan, trying to settle back into the mess of blankets on the couch I fell asleep on. "What in the _world_ would possess you to wake me up at-" I look at the cable box, "-eleven in the morning! On a Sunday! Especially when I fell asleep at _six_ this morning!"

Piper collapses next to me on the couch. "We're meeting friends for lunch at twelve. Specifically Jason and his friends." I had met Jason, Piper's boyfriend, a couple of times in school, but this would be my first time meeting him outside.

I look up at her. "You mean _your_ friends. You're the only friend I have."

Piper grins. "Exactly. After two weeks, you would think that you would try to make new friends. Since you won't reach out yourself, you can maybe _try_ and become friends with my friends. They're really nice, I think you're gonna like them."

"But do I _have_ to go?"

"Yes you _have to go_! Get up!"

I stare daggers at her as I force myself to stand up and stretch my body. "I hate you.

"Love you too. Now, let's get ourselves ready."

We walk upstairs to the kitchen and drink tall glasses of water before we walk another flight of stairs to Piper's bathroom, where I borrow an extra toothbrush that Piper has, and use Piper's facial cleanser. Even if her father is a movie-star millionaire, Piper seems to use simple, inexpensive products that you can find in a drugstore. Might be a small thing to notice, but that little, humble detail sticks out to me.

After cleaning up, Piper drags me towards her walk-in closet. She examines me before picking out a soft pink, cropped, and tight-fitting tank top and a pair of boyfriend denims.

"Rina tank from Brandy, and boyfriends from Urban." Piper mused, laying it down on the white dresser she has.

"Um, I don't think so. It's freaking late _October_, first of all, so I _cannot_ just go out with a cropped tank top if I don't wanna freeze. Second of all, I don't wear jeans." Who wears jeans when they could wear comfortable leggings?

"Well, I have jackets if you need one," She gestures at a whole coat rack of outerwear, "And you'll look really good in that fit. Your curves are to _die for_."

I roll my eyes. "They are not. What about the pants?"

Piper reaches and pulls out a drawer of the dresser. There are small stacks of leggings. "Here, you can have this one." She finds me a black one and also searches for a jacket before handing me a denim jacket. "I'll get out so you can change." She leaves and closes the door behind her so I could have privacy. I quickly change and leave the closet.

"Wow, you look so good!" She enthusiastically claps her hands and pulls me towards her vanity before pushing me down on the seat in front of it.

"Please remind me," I say as Piper brushes my curly, blonde locks. "Why should I even look good for a casual lunch?"

Piper replies, "Jason's bringing his friends with him."

"And?"

"First impressions! Even if you could impress them without any cute clothes and stuff, you can lure them with it."

I snort. "God, Piper, you make it sound like I'm a witch. Or a kidnapper."

Piper laughs along with me. "Plus, it's fun to dress you up.

I roll my eyes in response.

Piper puts down her brush and picks up a tube of mascara. "You need this?"

I take it out of her hand. "Thanks." I usually don't wear makeup on a regular basis, but wearing a bit of mascara every now and then never hurt anybody. I roll the spoolie wand off my eyelashes before putting it back in the rub and setting it vertically on her vanity. Piper offers me a tube of lip gloss which I take and smear on my lips.

"Great, let's go." Piper grabs her keys and walks out of her room with me on her tail.

* * *

The bells on the door jingle as Piper pushes it open to the diner we're supposed to meet Piper's friends and search until we find a waving hand signaling us. We walk over until we reach the table, and my eyes widen.

"Since when are you friends with _Percy Jackson_?" Piper asks Jason, pointing at Percy, who's sitting by the window beside Jason in the aisle seat.

"Wow, I never knew I was disliked _this much_." Percy smirks, glancing at Piper and then turning his attention on me. In return, I give him a raised eyebrow.

Jason leans to give Piper a kiss before we slide him into the booth across the boys. "Well, I've been hanging out with him during class, and we've become friends. Leo was supposed to come, but he had to cancel last minute. His dad wanted him at his workshop."

I can feel Percy's cocky stare on me from across the table, and I turn my head and challenge him. Seconds go by when he says, "Deja vu, huh?"

A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth, but I force it to stay in a line. Percy grins smugly as if he sees through my facade. "Yeah, I guess."

"You guys didn't order yet, right?" Piper asks, picking up the menu on the table. I reach to take a menu in front of me, but Percy snatches it from me before I'm able to.

"Hey!" I exclaim, trying to grab the menu out of his hand, but Percy raises it high above his head.

"Looks like you weren't fast enough." When I stop trying to take it back, he lowers it and peers into its options. "You snooze, you lose."

I huff and sink back into the peeling, vinyl seat until Piper hands me the menu she was using. "Thanks," I say, flipping through the worn, laminated menu, skimming through the options. My eyes settle on a picture of a bacon burger, and when a waiter reaches our table, we all place our orders accordingly.

"Have you guys been doing anything earlier?"

I groan. "I _was_ sleeping, but apparently Piper doesn't believe in beauty sleep."

Piper shoves me on her shoulders with hers. "Like you need it."

"True."

I turn my head at an astonishing speed to stare at Percy. He looks at me back with sparkling eyes under his messy hair with a knowing look on his face. I try to fight off a blush, but it isn't very difficult to fight a blush from a teasing, mocking compliment. "Sure, okay." Sarcasm drips down my voice.

"No, actually."

"Mhm." I read the label on the ketchup bottle beside us.

"I'm serious, you know."

I peer at him, trying to find the trick up his sleeve, when I remember that Jason and Piper are sitting next to me. Piper grins at me slyly, like she knows something I don't. I silently question her in return.

"We're going to the bathroom," Piper announces, grabbing my wrist and dragging me out of the booth. I protest, but I'm caught off guard and have no strength to push her off me.

As soon as I get pushed into the female bathroom, Piper pounces on me.

"What _was_ that?" She interrogates.

"What was _what_?" I ask, as nonchalant as I can.

"The flirting, the staring, all of that!" She says, giving me a raised eyebrow.

"First of all, there was no _flirting_ and no s_taring_! He was just teasing me!"

"Sure, okay." She smiles, about to go out of the bathroom again when I stop her.

"I thought you didn't even like him! And now you're practically _shipping_ us like a second grader just because of a two-minute long conversation."

She smirks. "You said I was shipping you guys? I was just…" She pauses, "...observing the situation."

"Yeah, okay." I scoff, and we head out of the bathroom and walk back to our table, where the boys are talking.

As if on cue, as soon as we slide into the booth, the waiter comes with plates of burgers and fries. I eye my food hungrily, and grab my bacon burger as soon as I thank the waiter who sets my food in front of me.

Piper takes a sip of her drink before grabbing her burger. "So, what were you guys talking about?" She takes a big bite, and a bit of ketchup falls off onto her plate.

"Basketball." Jason shrugs.

"Basketball?" I perk up, immediately becoming interested.

"You play?" Percy asks.

I shrug. "I used too." That's an understatement; basketball used to be my whole entire life.

"Wait, for real?" Piper asks.

I nod. "Yup."

"How come I didn't know this?"

"I dunno. I don't play often anymore anyways, so it's not anything new." I grow silent for a moment before adding, "Although, basketball really was my thing back then."

"Really?" Piper raises an eyebrow, as if he doesn't believe me.

"Yes, really. What's so surprising about that?" I ask, defensively.

Percy raises his hands innocently. "Nothing! It's just that…"

"It's just what?"

"I don't know! You seem more of like a volleyball girl or something. Maybe golf."

"You offend me." I dip a fry in ketchup.

"What's so offensive about that?"

I snort. "The volleyball part was fine. I actually quite like volleyball. It was the golf part that offended me. Golf is just a downgraded version of baseball."

"Hey! I used to play golf!" Piper puts a hand to her heart.

"Oh shit, really?" I automatically feel guilty.

Piper laughs. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm just kidding! God, I hated golf." Pipers smiles. "My dad used to sign me up for lessons in middle school. I was even on a travel team for half a season, but I finally managed to convince my dad of letting me quit. Instead, I switched over to tennis." She informs. "I still play."

"I never pinned you as an athletic girl, McLean, but I guess we should follow the old saying." Percy turns his attention at me as he says his next few words, "Never judge a book by it's cover."

* * *

**hey guys! if ur reading this, im assuming that you read this chapter and the first, and i wanna thank u for that. im the absolute worst with uploading and the finding the motivation to upload after the first chapter of a fic, which is prob why i have a hundred unfinished docs in my google drive lol, so im thankful for ur patience and for u guys to continue reading:))**

**also, i hope u guys are all v safe! there's a lot of stuff going around the world with the coronavirus rn, so i hope u guys are being careful! pls remember to stay clean, wash ur hands, do whatever u gotta do to keep u and ur loved ones clean and save from covid-19! ok, that's it haha:)) have a great morning, afternoon, or evening, whenever or wherever ur reading this! xoxo, abby:)**

* * *

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**Auralia9514 - no, thank **_**u**_ **for reading and reviewing! im glad that you found my fic to be enjoyable haha, it rlly helps me out understanding where i stand with my writing, so thank u for reviewing:)**

**thats all the reviews for my first chapter of this fic! ty all sm fo reviewing and favoriting and following, it rlly makes my day:))**


	3. car trips and new friendships

_** chapter 3 - car trips and new friendships**_

**a/n and review responses down below:)) enjoy!**

* * *

As Piper and I are packing up our books into our backpacks when class is dismissed, Jason approaches us.

"Hey Pipes, hey Annabeth."

I greet him with a smile while Piper pecks his lips. "Hey."

"So," Jason hooks an arm around Piper's waist, "There's a party today, after school at Drew's."

Piper and I share the same disgusted look, which Jason notices.

"But we don't have to go if you don't wanna," Jason mutters, disappointed, but when Piper thanks him with another kiss, he smiles, immediately forgetting about the party that he's going to miss. "Movie night instead?" He asks Piper and I.

Piper and I exchange looks before I nod. "Sure."

"Who else is coming?" Piper says, zipping up her backpack.

"I was thinking of Leo and Percy."

"Percy, huh?" Piper wriggles her eyebrows at me, and I scowl at her.

Jason nods, tilting his head to his side, asking Piper if it's okay in their silent language.

"Yeah, that sounds okay." Piper says. "I think we should invite Silena too. She's coming back tonight."

"Silena?" I ask. "Who's Silena?"

"Remember? She's a student here and one of my closest friends."

I prod, "I'm gonna need a little more than that."

"The model who rarely comes to school anymore? Teen Vogue? Cosmopolitan?"

"Ah, now I remember you telling me about her."

Piper smiles. "I think you guys are gonna hit it off great. She's coming back tonight from a shoot at Los Angeles, so she's probably going to be able to make it here around seven."

"We can offer to pick her up from the airport," Jason pipes up, and Piper agrees.

"Uh, we can do it at my house," I offer. "It's in Stars Hollow, which is really small and homey, but it's nice. I can the address to you."

Piper nods, and Jason picks her backpack up and swings it over his shoulder. "Yeah, that works," They respond.

We walk out of class last, after all the other students, and walk toward our respective lockers.

"We can all meet at my house and hang out for a while before picking up Silena at the airport," I say, turning away to go to my locker, which is on the other side of all the hall than Piper's. "See you guys in a few."

I open my locker and stuff my books in before I close it and walk out of the building.

* * *

The doorbell rings, and I jog up my basement stairs to reach my front door. I'm now wearing leggings and a dark navy sweatshirt, having changed out of my Chilton uniform before anyone got to my house. When I open it, Percy appears with his classic smirk and sparkling eyes. "Why, hello, Chase."

"Hi," I say, stepping aside and opening the door wider. He steps in, and stands in the front entrance awkwardly.

"Thanks." He mutters. We stand there for a moment; me refusing to look at him in the eyes, rocking my heels, and Percy with his arms crossed and a raised eyebrow on his face. I look up when I realize how close we are. I immediately step back when Jason comes up the stairs.

"Hey! Perce!" Jason greets, patting him on the shoulder. "You're the last one here. Everyone else is downstairs."

I lead the way through the short route from the door to my basement, and descend the stairs. When we reach the bottom, the rest of the group, which is just Piper and Leo, who I met a week ago.

While Piper smiles and waves at Percy, Leo decides to be theatrical.

"Percy, is that you?" Leo cries dramatically, jumping up from the couch and hugging him fiercely, wiping away his fake tears and clinging onto him. Percy laughs and shoves Leo away.

"Strangely comical as always, Valdez."

I check my watch. "If we're going to Bradley Airport, I think we should head out right now. Traffic might be pretty heavy, especially since today's Friday night."

"Yeah, that's true." Piper jumps up from the couch. "Who's car?"

* * *

Jason climbs into the passenger seat of Piper's eight-seat SUV, and Leo jumps into the back seat behind the driver's. Piper comes up behind him and pulls the seat in front of her forward, and before I can say anything, shoves me into the back seat in the rearmost row. Percy's pushed into the row right behind me, and before we can escape, Piper clicks the seat back in place.

"What was that? I think you broke my back from forcing me back here," I complain, but when I know that Piper's not letting either of us out, I settle back into my seat and buckle my belt.

"So, Chase," Percy starts, leaning back into his seat, "We have quite a trip ahead of us."

"It'll only take an hour." I reply dryly.

"So instead of seven minutes in heaven, it'll be an hour? That's even better." Percy smirks, slowly leaning towards me.

I punch his shoulder, hard.

"Hey! That hurts!" Percy jumps away and rubs his shoulder.

"Really?" I say sarcastically, "Who would've thought?"

Suddenly, music starts filling the car of _Candy Paint_ by Post Malone. I hum along the tunes, tapping my foot along the beat of the song on the floor of the car. I can hear Piper, Jason, and Leo having a conversation up front, but the conversation doesn't reach all the way back, therefore leaving Percy and I in a silence.

"So…" I try, "Uh… the weather's nice."

Percy chuckles. "Yeah."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Shut up."

"I'm not doing anything!"

"You're making fun of me."

Percy gives me a look. "Am I, now?"

I don't answer him, and instead, turn forwards before piping up again. "Are you and Silena close?" I turn my head again to look at him.

He shrugs. "We're not as close as, say, Piper, but we're friends, yeah."

I nod slowly. "That's cool."

"I think that you guys will get along great though."

"Yeah, that's what Piper said," I muse.

Another long moment passes by.

"So, you like basketball."

"Yes, I do." I say, remembering the similar conversation in the diner.

"And you used to play but not anymore."

"Yes, Percy, I like basketball and I used to play. Wanna get to the point anytime soon?"

Percy raises an eyebrow. "Wow. Sassy."

"Fuck off." I say, very elegantly.

"You don't play anymore at all?" Percy continues, ignoring me.

I shrug. "I don't play competitively, but if I have the time, I play a bit. I have a hoop at home."

"Are you any good?"

"Depends on what you call 'good', I guess."

"You know, I play basketball a little bit."

I tell him that I know that piece of information. "You also do swim, which you're more known for."

Percy looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "How? I've never told you."

"You're so oblivious." I chuckle, disbelievingly. "You _do_ know that you're, like, the 'star athlete' of Chilton. The quote-unquote 'popular kid' of the school?" I shake my head. "I bet I can find at least _one_ fan page on Instagram," I joke.

Percy leans his head back on the seat. "Oh, yeah, right."

I peer curiously at him. "Isn't popularity like on high demand or some shit?"

Percy laughs. "Sure, but what's the fun of getting to know someone when they already know a lot about you?"

"Ugh." I roll my eyes. "Please don't do that whole 'I'm sad because I'm popular and I have a lot of friends' act."

"I wasn't planning too!" He defends, before adding, "You know, if you're any good, you should try out for the girl's basketball team."

I narrow my eyes at the seat in front of me, occupied by Leo. "Nah, I don't think that's possible."

Percy swings an arm around the middle seat, so his forearm and hand was hanging in the trunk of the car and his upper arm was still in front of the seat. "Why not, Chase?"

"What do you mean, 'why not'? I haven't played in a few years, and when I did, it was with self-directed training, with no coaches or trainers or anything! You can't _possibly_ expect me to be able to play for the basketball team and be my best when I haven't played."

"Well, I can practice with you," He says nonchalantly.

"Come again?"

"I can practice with you!" Percy offers, "C'mon, Chase, I promise I'm not _that_ bad."

I laugh. "I'm sure you're not, I just don't know if I wanna get back into basketball."

"And why not, Chase?"

"I don't know! Maybe because I haven't played in so freaking long? Plus, I'll only be a burden to you."

"You won't, I promise." Percy says earnestly, looking at me in the eye.

I ponder the idea one last time before replying, "Okay, fine, I guess it doesn't sound so bad." I yawn. "I'm so tired." I relax my sitting position and slide further down into my seat, pulling up my hood and resting my eyes just for one moment.

* * *

Or so I thought. The next thing I see is the dark sky through the window and the leather seats in front of me. I hear the others talking up front, but I can't hear exactly what they're saying; it sounds a bit muffled next to the My view of the world is horizontal, and I feel my head against tough but not exactly hard. I sit upright to see what I was leaning on when I see a shoulder. Percy's shoulder.

"Oh _god_," I jerk away and look up to see his smirk.

"Looked like you were pretty comfortable there."

I try to fight off a rosy blush on my cheeks, but I'm pretty sure I'm not doing a good job at it. "Oh, shut up. I can't control what I'm doing while I'm sleeping. It's like…" I think before saying, "Snoring. Or grinding your teeth. You can't help it, even if it's really fucking annoying."

Percy shrugs before smiling. "I didn't mind."

The car rolls to a slow stop, and I look to the left of me and out the window to see the airport. "We're here. _Finally_." I say with a louder voice than I had that when I was only talking to Percy.

"How 'bout Annabeth and I go into the airport to get Silena and so Annabeth can meet her." Piper says from the driver's seat. "You okay with that, Beth?" She uses the unoriginal nickname she discovered when we first became friends.

"Yeah, I don't really care," I reply.

Soon enough, the car backs into a parking spot close enough to the gate corresponding with Silena's plane, and Piper and I get out of the car. Not before I awkwardly maneuver over Percy to get out, of course, since Percy refused to get out of the car to make getting out of the car easier, just so he could mock me. Par for the course with Percy.

As Piper and I walk into the airport, I feel a slight difference between the cool, breezy, early November weather and the chilly, air-conditioned temperature in the airport.

"Piper?"

Piper and I both turn our heads in the direction of the voice that called Piper, and as soon as Piper sees the origin of the voice, she fast-walks towards that direction before hugging a tall and slim girl tightly. "Silena!"

I follow Piper and awkwardly stand by while they hug for a small moment. When they pull pack, Silena turns towards me. "Hi, I'm Silena," She greets me warmly.

"Hi, Annabeth," I smile back, already liking her.

"Jason, Leo, and Percy are out in the car," Piper informs Silena.

"Percy Jackson? Since when are we friends with him?"

Piper shrugs. "That's what I told Jason. Apparently they got close during a class they share, and now he's hanging out with us." Piper says. "He's not as bad as we though, Sil. Plus," Piper darts a look at me, and lowers her voice to a mock-whisper, "Annabeth has a little crush on him."

"I _do not_!" I say, but Piper ignores me. I turn to Silena. "I don't," I say, and a small smile grows on Silena's face.

"I missed a lot in just one month," Silena laughs.

"C'mon," Piper says, grabbing Silena's suitcase and walking out of the airport, confident and cool as always. Silena and I slowly follow her lead, walking side by side.

"When did you move to Chilton? Assuming that's where you and Piper met, of course," Silena asks, taking a sip out of the water bottle she was holding.

"Yeah, that's where Piper and I met. I moved here, like… three weeks ago? Yeah, three weeks ago." I say, mentally counting the weeks I've been in Chilton. "Honestly, those three weeks went by so fast." I smile. "But that's a good thing, right?"

Silena smiles with me. "Right."

We step outside of the airport and I breathe in the cold, refreshing air before following Piper to her car, where the boys are waiting.

Piper loads the suitcase into her trunk, and slips into the driver's seat. I automatically head back where Percy is without any complaints.

As soon as everyone is situated, Piper drives out of the parking zone and into the lane beside us, and as we drive back to Stars Hollow, I make sure not to fall asleep again any time soon.

* * *

Jason yawns. "It's getting really late."

My eyes are slightly drooping, and I take a sip of my Coke to, hopefully, wake me up. It doesn't.

"Yeah, I think Jason and I are going to head out right now. I'm his ride," Piper says, standing up in unison with Jason. "I'm also Silena's." She states, with the underlying question.

"That's totally fine with me," Silena replies, also standing up. "Thanks a lot Annabeth, it was really great meeting you."

I genuinely grin. "No problem, and back at you."

Leo and Percy also stand up, and I walk them to the door. After our good-bye's, I ponder my next decision, and after a split-second, I grab my coat from the coathanger and grab my wallet before heading out.

I walk down my street towards the center of Stars Hollow, where the only market in Stars Hollow, Demeter's Market, is. Almost everything in Stars Hollow is walking distance from anywhere else in town, so I don't bother with my car.

As soon as I enter, Demeter greets me.

"Why, helloi, Annabeth. It's unexpected to see you at this time of night," She greets me. Almost everybody in Stars Hollow knows everybody, so it's not a surprise when Demeter talks to me as if we've known each other for a long time.

"Hey, Demeter," I say. "Just midnight cravings." I smile.

Demeter chuckles. "I don't know how you possibly eat as much junk as you eat while still being as slim as you are." She shakes her head.

I grin at her before walking towards the freezers, not bothering with a basket, where I pick up a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Next, I hover in the snack aisle before picking up boxes and bags of different snacks. My arms are full, and I stagger a bit before readjusting the items in my arms. I turn, expecting to see the cashier stations, but instead, I walk straight into a chest. My snacks fall out of my arms, and after regaining my balance, I immediately drop down to pick up my items. "I'm so sorry!" I apologize immediately. I only see the person's face clearly when I stand up again. It's a boy, with sharp and icy blue eyes and blonde hair. I take in a breath, and my cheeks become pink.

"Nah, it's fine." He smiles with white teeth, and I slowly melt inside.

We stand there for another silent moment before I say, "Um…." I point awkwardly at the cashier stations.

"Oh, right." He turns swiftly, giving me an open space to go and check out.

"Thanks," I say, before speed-walking towards the check out. Demeter scans each item, and after she gives back my change and I grab my paper bags filled with snacks, I sneak a peek towards the boy. My eyes widen when I see that he's staring back at me. I turn my head so fast that I'm surprised that my neck didn't break, and after a quick thanks and goodnight to Demeter, I walk out as quickly as I can.

Walking in the chilly night, I stare at the stars as I walk home, with a goofy grin on my face.

* * *

**so i feel like this chapter kinda sucks but i don't know what to fix, so please review if u have any constructive criticism on this chapter and the other chapters, bc i feel like they v much need it haha. i also put some of the stars hollow small-town-charm in this chapter, which is sad bc i should have done that from the beginning of this story, since it is a pig part of gilmore girls, so my apologies! i'll start putting more of stars hollow into the chapters:)**

**also, if ur here for the percabeth, don't worry! this is a percabeth story **_**and**_ **a gilmore girl story, and it wouldn't be a good gg story without a love triangle, am i right or am i right?**

**on another note, please stay safe! stay ****quarantined****, do whatever u gotta do, stay home, stay clean! hope u guys are all well:)**

**anyways, i hoped u enjoyed!**

* * *

**reviews:**

**RosieReads222 - ahhhhhhhhh ty! that really means a lot fr haha i hope this chapter doesn't change ur mind:) and for ur question, i ship rory w logan the best! apparently that's a v unpopular opinion(according to my friends), but i'll always stick to it bc logan is my bb and i will always love him. plus, u can't say that rory and logan when they jumped down with umbrellas weren't **_**actual**_ **goals, or you'll be lying lmaoo. anyways, i hope to see u review in the next chapter!**

**xTayTayx - ty for reviewing! i also can't wait to see where the plot is going, bc, to be honest, i don't even have the whole plot down. i'm just improvising lol, but i hope u still enjoyed and will stick by as i upload more:)))**


	4. party like never before (part 1)

_** chapter 4 - party like never before (part 1)**_

**a/n and reviews down below!**

* * *

Piper grabs my hand and practically drags me towards the entrance to the mansion.

"You're gonna have fun!" She says when we're in front of the door.

I eye the house. I can hear the music pumping in it, the colored lights flashing through the sheer curtains that are, to say the least, not doing a great job blocking the windows. 

"Yeah, right," I reply. 

Piper laughs. "Oh, come on. You _will_. You're so caught up in school these days, it's okay to loosen up for a night!"

"I have to study tomorrow."

"You have _all day_ tomorrow! It's a Friday; you can wake up late and go to sleep late tomorrow." 

I sigh. "_Alright_, fine." 

Piper squeals, excited. 

"I guess it won't hurt if I drink just one beer, right?" I mutter, my mouth already thirsty for one. "I haven't been to a party since…" I think before saying, "Last summer? Yeah, last summer, at a party with some friends from my old school." 

"Hmm. I've never really heard you talk about them," Piper says, placing her hand on the doorknob. 

I shrug. "I was never really that close with people from my old school. _Except for Thalia_, I almost say, but I shut my mouth before blurting out anything.

Piper nods slowly, as if seeing through my lie. "Oh, okay. Well, you have us now, right? _Plus_, you might meet some people here. Maybe _boys_…" Piper wiggles her eyebrows at me.

I snort. "I don't need a boyfriend or anything like that right now." Despite this, an image of that boy I met at Demeter's Market flashes across my mind.

Piper must be a mind-reader. "Mhmm." She smirks.

I groan. "C'mon, let's just go in already." 

* * *

When we go in, the loud music startles me. Almost immediately, Silena approaches us.

"You guys finally came!" She says, smiling at us with a red Solo cup in her hand. "Let's get you guys some drinks. 

"Already?" I ask, surprised. 

Silena laughs. "Hell yeah!"

"Well, uh, okay. Cool." I follow Silena with Piper by my side, weaving through different crowds of people.

"Whose house is this?" Piper asks, just as I was wondering the same question; the house seemed endless as we went deeper and deeper in.

Silena turns her head around. "You know the Stoll brothers? Travis and Connor? It's theirs. Pretty cool, huh?"

Piper nods. "Yeah, it's pretty cool."

We finally get to the enormous kitchen. I see a bunch of drinks and cups on the big island in the middle, with a few people crowding around it. The disco lights from the front living room are faded now, not even a dim flash reflecting on our faces now. Even so, the volume of the loud music has not gotten any lower.

"You want alcohol?" Silena asks us.

Piper nods vigorously. "Yes, please! I wanna Cherry White Claw."

Silena hands her a can.

"And you?" She asks me.

"Uh… I'll take a White Claw too. Grapefruit, if there is any," I say.

Silena gives me my own, cold drink, and I thank her and immediately open it, sipping the liquid and enjoying the tingly sensation it gives me. Responsible Annabeth is gone; Party Annabeth has taken her place. 

"Hey, where are the others?" I ask.

"Jason's coming in a few," Piper tells me. "I don't know about Leo. Or Percy, for that matter."

Silena shakes her head. "I don't know either. You know, it's kinda funny how Percy became so close with us in such little time. It feels like only yesterday that Piper and I were making fun of him and feeling bad for all of the girls that hook up with him."

Piper laughs loudly. "I won't deny that."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

Piper nods enthusiastically. "Mhmm." 

We continue the conversation with light-hearted gossip and jokes, and gradually I finish not one can, but two, putting the rim of my third beer to my lips.

* * *

My head is spinning when I feel a presence beside me.

I'm still at the kitchen counter, a few moments after Piper and Silena headed off into the living room.

"Why, hello, Chase." 

I turn my heavy head to see Percy next to me, appearing quite sober. 

"Hi, Jackson," I giggle. Percy raises an eyebrow.

"How much have you drank tonight, Chase?"

I raise my hands into view, and put down my fingers, trying to make sense of them. I finally put down seven of my fingers, and count the remaining fingers I have left.

"Three?"

Percy chuckles. "Only three? Never knew you such a lightweight, Chase," He teases.

"Haha, very funny," I try to deadpan, but it comes out along with a real, deep laugh.

Percy peers at me for a moment before gently taking my can from out of my hand.

"I think you've had enough for tonight." 

I try reaching for my drink again. "That's not true! I was having a good time!" I whine.

Percy smiles. "I'm sure you were."

I lean my weight onto the kitchen counter, staring at him.

"What?" He says, consciously touching his face.

I giggle again. "We were talking about you before you came. Me, Piper, and Silena. Or is it Piper, Silena, and I?" 

Percy rolls his eyes. "Ahh, I always knew you and Silena had a crush on me."

I make a sour face. "We were talking about your man-whorish tendencies."

Percy chokes on air. "Excuse me?"

My eyebrows furrow. "Did you not hear me?" I raise my voice, almost shouting now. "We were talking about your man-whorish tendencies!"

Despite the several people turning to stare, Percy seems unnerved.

"Really?"

I nod, eyeing my drink. "Really. In fact, when I first saw you, Piper warned me about you."

"What did she say?" Percy asks, seeming more interested than before. 

I shrug. "Secrets are no fun if they're told," I say slyly. Percy seems amused.

"So now it's a secret?"

"It's a secret," I confirm, taking a pause before lunging forward and snatching my can back from Percy, hungry for the liquid to run down my throat again. I chug the remaining liquid from my can, which turned out to be more than half of the can. 

So it's not a surprise when I start choking on the drink.

"Woah!" Percy leans over to hold me by the shoulders, steadying me until I stop coughing.

Percy takes me beer away from my hand again, walking over to the sink and pouring the remains of it down the drain.

"Hey! I was drinking that!" I walk over to him, taking the can but putting it back on the counter when I find it empty.

Percy snorts. "You were choking on it too?"

My eyes narrow. "Can you just shut up?" I say, getting angry now.

Percy chuckles, aggravating me more.

"I think you're making fun of me," I state.

Percy rolls his eyes. "I think we need to get you home."

"Home?" My eyebrows bunch together. "I don't wanna go home."

Percy puts his hands on the sides of my upper arms, right below my shoulders, leading me towards the entrance of the house. I can feel the warmness of his hands through the sleeve of my shirt as we walk out of the kitchen, through crowds of people. I try to fight my way out of his grip, but my body doesn't cooperate with my brain. Not that my brain is working very well either.

"Percyyy," I drag out his name. "I don't _wanna go home_." 

I turn my head around to stare at him at an uncomfortable angle to see his eyebrows curl.

"Why not, Annabeth?" 

I smile, ignoring the question and, instead, marveling at the way my name rolls down his tongue, and out of his lips. I've never liked my name much before, but the way Percy says it is starting to change my mind.

"Why don't you want to go home?" He asks again, gently. I shrug. He doesn't press farther; instead, he takes us out of the house, where the chilly air hits me, making me stumble back. I almost fall when Percy steadys me.

"See? You should go home now; you're practically falling all over the place."

I mockingly gasp. "No, I am not!"

Percy smirks, a dimple popping on one cheek as he half-carries, half-leads me somewhere. I reach out to poke his dimple when he grabs my hand midair.

"What are you doing, Chase?" 

I giggle. "I was gonna poke your dimple. _Duh_."

Percy looks at me and smiles, his ocean eyes sparkling. "Ah, of course."

We finally reach a blue Prius, where Percy opens the passenger door. I stumble inside, resting my head against the headrest. Soon, Percy settles in beside me in the driver's, putting on his seatbelt.

"Put yours on too, Chase." 

I lazily click my seatbelt around me before saying, "How are you driving? Didn't you drink in there?"

Percy shakes his head, shifting his gear and starting to back out of where he street-parked close to the Stoll brothers' house.

"Nah, I don't drink."

"You don't? You seem like the party type… like the type of guy that would turn into a frat boy in college."

Percy chuckles. "Well, I guess I give off the wrong vibe." He pauses, before repeating. "I don't drink."

"Why not?"

Percy looks at me carefully before replying, "I just don't."

I contemplate what I say or do next as much as my drunk brain will allow me; I don't want to pry.

Instead of saying anything, I reach to turn on the radio. My brain is foggy, and the music seems to only confuse me more.

I lean back into my seat, and say, "Ugh, radio music can kiss my ass." 

Percy chuckles. "Then why did you turn it on?"

I shrug. "I don't like silence," I mumble.

A moment of a Taylor Swift song fills the air around us when Percy says, "God, radio music _does_ suck."

"You can turn it off if you want."

Percy looks at me before turning the radio off. 

I turn to look at the window, which has fogged up a bit, showing a slightly blurred view of the houses passing by, and soon enough, I feel my eyelids drooping down.

Normally, I would force them open, but this time, I welcome the dark sleepily. 

* * *

I feel the car slow down into a stop, and I pry my eyes open.

We're in front of my house, where I can see the lights behind the closed blinds. 

"Chase, are you awake?"

My head feels heavy as I turn to look at him. "Huh?" My brain feels clearer than before, but not by much at all. 

Percy smiles and shakes his head. "Never mind." He takes his seatbelt off and gets out of the car, walking over to the passenger side, opening my door, and helping me out. 

I trip a little at first, and lean some of my weight on him. We keep the car in idle as we walk over to my house. Percy's about to pull me over to the front door when I shake my head.

"No, don't go though there; my dad might catch me." 

Percy checks his watch. "One o'clock," He mutters. "I guess it's pretty late." He then groans. "Ugh, my mom's gonna kill me." 

I give him a sympathetic look, or at least I try; my face feels droopy. "I'm sorry." 

He smiles at me reassuringly. "It's fine. It's not like it's the first time." Despite this, he grimaces.

We look at each other for a minute longer before I say, "Come one, we can sneak in through the back door."

We walk over to my background: me, limping, him, partially carrying me.

We reach the back door, where I unlock it as quietly as my drunk self can. 

The door swings up a bit, and I slip inside, Percy following me.

I inhale a sharp intake when I see my dad sitting on our couch on our sofa. Most importantly, there's a woman sitting next to him. 

"What the fuck?" I mutter under my breath. I raise my voice. "What the _fuck_? Who is this?" My voice is slurred. 

My dad stands up, peering at me. "Are you _drunk_?" He looks at Percy, who, thankfully, hasn't left my side. "Who is this man?" 

"Who is that _woman_?" 

My dad glances at the woman, who has stood up herself. "This is Helen." 

The woman crosses her arms, staring me up and down with a look on her face, a mixture of smug and disgust, giving me an urge to slap her across her face. How _dare_ she come into my house and judge me? 

Instead, I scoff. "_Helen_? What is this, _who_ is this."

My dad sighs. "Helen's my girlfriend. I was going to introduce you to her if you hadn't come home drunk after midnight!"

"So you have time for a new woman but you can't even give me the time of the day?" I'm shouting now. 

My dad turns scarlett. "You clearly didn't need it, coming in here drunk. I didn't raise you to be like this."

My mouth drops open, and I shove out, "No, no you didn't. Because you didn't raise me at all!" Normally, I wouldn't be saying this. I wouldn't be drunk, I wouldn't have a boy take me home, I wouldn't be shouting at my dad like this, this wouldn't be happening at all.

"Annabeth Chase, apologize to me right now-"

"No," I state, my voice still raised. "No, I won't. I'm not gonna apologize for saying something that has been true for _years_." 

My dad's eyes narrow even more. "Out."

"What?"

"Out!"

My mouth opens wider than I thought possible. "You're _kicking me out_? You're choosing a _woman_ over your own _daughter_?" 

"You're drunk, Annabeth! With a boy! After midnight!" 

"I- I- You can't be serious."

"Get out of my house _now_." 

He's deadly calm, and I stare at him in shock.

"Fine. Fine!" I'm hysterical now, and I turn around and stumble out of the door, breathing hard. 

My thoughts are jumbled, my chest falling and rising, my knees weak. I barely process Percy putting his hands on my back, steadying me.

I'm numb as he leads me to his car. I don't feel myself sinking into the seat, only just red-hot anger and desperation and horrid and unbearable sadness. 

I feel Percy sitting in his side of the car, and I start crying. 

I start bawling, a deep cry crawling it's way out of my mouth. Percy pulls me towards him over the console, where I lean into his chest, his arms around me.

"I've spent most of my life taking care of myself, and this whole entire _fucking_ time, he was spending time with another woman. Without caring for his daughter _at all_. The only thing he cares about is the fact that I come home drunk and late _one time_. The only _fucking_ thing he cares about is himself. He's selfish, he's selfish, he's _so selfish_." I'm sobbing.

"He hasn't cared for me since Mom died," I whimper. "Mom dies, and, instead of being able to grieve like a normal fucking nine-year-old, he leaves me to take care of myself. I've done _everything_ by myself. I get good grades, I respect him as much as I can, I don't bother him, I don't question his lack of parenting, I keep to myself. I don't know what else to do." 

Percy doesn't question anything; he just holds me, rubbing his thumb in circles around my shoulder. 

Eventually, he gently takes me out of his hold, placing me back in my seat. I don't wipe the tears streaming rivers across my cheeks and onto my lap. 

* * *

hi guys! it's been a while. sorry:/ i really am, i swear, but, even with the whole quarantine thing, i still find that im kinda busy, and, as much as i hate to say this, but other things have taken priority.

anyways, to repay, im gonna give u guys two chapters. this is only part one, and part two has already been posted. two chapters in one day!

i hoped you guys like them; i spent a lot of time working on them haha. i'll put the reviews on the next chapter:) i hope u enjoyed, and, more importantly, stay safe! 


	5. party like never before (part 2)

_** chapter 5 - part like never before (part 2)**_

**as always, a/n + reviews below:)**

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Suddenly, we're in front of a house. Not a grand house in Hartford, but a house. A normal-looking brick house with a nice lawn. 

"Come on, Annabeth," Percy says, gesturing at the house.

"Wha- where are we?"

Percy smiles softly. "My house."

"You're house?" Amidst of my hysteria, I find it odd that Percy lives in a regular sized house; I thought his family was wealthy.

Percy gets out of his seat and over to mine. "Yeah, you can stay over with me. For the night, at least."

Before I get out of the car, I quickly wipe my tears away, feeling the puffiness of my eyes. I see Percy looking at me curiously, and when I meet his eye, he quickly looks away.

I limp out of the car, my eyes sting from the sudden, cold air. We walk over to a side door, where we slip in.

I see a woman with brown hair sitting on a chair in a kitchen, but, much unlike my father, she immediately walks over to Percy and hugs him tight.

When she pulls away, I see her face pulled together in a stern, but concerned look.

"I thought I told you to come home before midnight tonight! I was so worried." 

Percy looks sheepish, and rubs a hand on the back of his neck. "Sorry, mom, I really am." 

It seems like she just noticed me, because she steps back to look at me.

"You brought a friend, Percy?"

"Yeah, mom. This is Annabeth. Chase, this is my mom."

Much to my surprise, she hugs me, just as she had with Percy. I'm startled, and, cautiously, I hug her back, grateful that she doesn't judge my appearance; I must look like a wreck.

"Oh, welcome, welcome," Ms. Jackson says as she pulls back. "Do you need a place to stay overnight?"

I bite my lip. I hope I don't seem too drunk anymore; for some unknown reason, I value her judgement of me.

"Uh, if you can't, I completely understand Ms. Jackson," I say. "I can find somewhere else to stay, you don't need to-"

Ms. Jackson shakes her head. "Nonsense! Stay here as long as you want. It's not the first time one of Percy's friends needed hospitality." 

I sneak a quick peek at Percy, wondering what she meant by that. 

"Plus, call me Sally, dear," She says kindly, leading me away from the entryway. "Percy, would you get some clean clothes for Annabeth? It doesn't seem like she has any at the moment."

"Uh, sure, yeah." He walks away into a hallway, and Sally leads me to a small table in the middle of her kitchen, where she sits me down on a chair next to the one she was previously sitting in herself.

"You look like you need a cup of water, honey," She says gently, before she sets down a glass of water. I take it gratefully and gulp down most of it in one sip.

"I don't mean to pry," Sally says, sitting down next to me, "But are you okay? Do you need anything else?"

I shake my head vigorously. "No, no, I don't need anything else. Letting me into your home is something that I'm tremendously thankful for already." 

Sally reaches out to touch my hand, and I stare at it. "Oh, it's nothing. I never want to reject help for a person, especially if that's a friend of Percy."

As if on cue, Percy walks in, holding a small stack of folded clothes on his hands.

"Got the clothes," Percy announces.

Sally chuckles. "Alright, you guys get settled for bed." She gives my hand a squeeze and walks over to kiss Percy on the cheek. "Good night!"

"Night, Mom," Percy says.

"Good night, Sally," I say. "Thank you for everything."

Sally flashes a warm smile before disappearing into the hallway Percy just left.

Percy jerks his head over to the hallway. "Come on."

I follow him until we reach a door, which Percy opens to reveal a room with blue-painted walls. I follow him in, curious to see what his room looks like. 

It's not much: a bed is unmade in one corner, a desk equally as messy in another. A few shelves hang on the wall, decorated with rows of trophies and medals. 

"It's not much," Percy says awkwardly. I laugh, despite the fact that I just got kicked out of my house.

"I wasn't expecting a museum, Jackson." 

He hands me the clothes. After a moment of standing there, Percy blushes. 

"I should give you privacy."

I smile small. "You think?"

Percy leaves the room, and I quickly change out of my clothes and into his. They're big on me, and I roll the waistband of his sweatpants on my hips a few times.

I bunch my clothes into a ball as I open the door and peek out.

Percy is standing there, against the doorway, and he startles.

"You're done?" 

I nod. "I'm done." Maybe it was my foggier head before, but I start to realize the extent of my embarrassment. I've become drunk, kicked out of my house, and forced to stay with him, and he's seen the _whole entire time_.

"Uh, thanks. For everything, I mean. And I'm really sorry; I most likely ruined the whole weekend for you." My feet have suddenly turned very fascinating.

Percy rubs his hand on the back of his neck again. "It's fine, Chase…. Anytime."

I look up to see him smiling at me. We stay like that for a few seconds before I awkwardly say, "Where will I be sleeping?" 

"Oh, uh, you can sleep on my bed?"

My cheeks heat up furiously, and Percy smirks as he notices.

"Don't you worry, Chase. I'm gonna be sleeping on the couch."

I can't help my exhale deeply; I didn't realize I was holding my breath.

"Are you sure? I can sleep on the couch if you want." 

Percy shakes his head. "No, it's fine." He leans to the side and points at a door. "The bathroom's right there if you need it."

I nod. "Okay. Thanks." 

Percy smiles. "Anytime."

He stares at me, and I stare back.

"Night, Annabeth," He says, his voice slightly louder than a whisper.

"Night, Percy," I reply, before closing the door between us.

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**part two! i hoped u guys liked both parts, i really do. besides that, please stay safe! it's crazy these days:/**

**as always, here are the reviews:))**

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**xTayTayx - yup, u guessed righttt! he didn't make an appearance in the last chapter or this one, but he's coming soon;) for jealous percy, i can't wait either. i'm really excited to write about that. also, im so happy you liked silena! i tried to write her as really sweet, since i always like to read stories that portray her like that, so im glad u saw that:)**

**RosieReads222 - awww, thanks for reading and enjoying! i'm sorry i did make u wait so long, but i hope these two chapters made up for it:)) dean really is a sweetheart haha. god, if only people like him existed in real life! life would be sooo much easier if they did. hope u keep reading:)))**


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